By Kimberly Givant
Christina Perri, who in 2010 released her widely popular debut single “Jar of Hearts,” is expected to release her second album this week on Tuesday, April 1. Entitled Head or Heart, Perri’s new album was originally supposed to be released on March 11, 2014 and has created a great amount of anticipation. Though she has not been able to create another hit as successful as “Jar of Hearts” or rise to the same amount of popularity since its release, Christina Perri, her producer and co-writer Martin Johnson, and their team at Atlantic Records have high hopes for Head or Heart.
Four singles from the album have already been released and are available to buy on iTunes. Her first and most popular single, “Human,” was released over five months ago on Nov. 18, 2013. Though the single was released to mostly positive reviews, “Human” follows the same melancholy, heart-on-her-sleeve, feeling from her first album Livestrong and debut single “Jar of Hearts” but seems to have abandoned the array of instrumentals that added originality to her pop style. The single also seems to copy the exact same message as songs such as “Roar” by Katy Perry and “Brave” by Sara Bareilles, which is possibly why it has not been able to reach its expected popularity.
“Human” has broken into the top 20 on five different charts around the globe but has failed to break the top 10 on any and only peaked on the US Billboard Hot 100 at 31.
Her singles “Burning Gold” and “I Don’t Wanna Break,” though catchy, lack any originality. Not only does the style seem to copy that of Taylor Swift’s almost exactly, she even sounds remarkably similar. These singles very obviously show Perri’s attempt to break out more in the mainstream pop scene by abandoning aspects of her original style and mimicking that of others.
Though her singles released are somewhat disappointing and lack individuality and creativity, she may still have a few surprises to reveal on the rest of her album.
First-year Kimberly Givant is Associate Arts & Entertainment Editor. Her email is kgivant@fandm.edu.